Held over a two-week period every year in Munich, Germany, Oktoberfest commemorates the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria to his wife Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, which took place in 1810.
This year, however, those celebrations will not take place. Announced by German officials on Tuesday, Munich’s 2020 Oktoberfest celebrations have been canceled.
Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder and Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter, who made the announcement together, lamented the cancellation but have deemed that the “risk is simply too high” amidst coronavirus concerns.
More than 6 million revelers typically attend Oktoberfest annually. Not only a celebration of culture and good beer, the event usually adds over $1 billion to Munich’s economy.
While the announcement comes as a blow to beer lovers and businesses, war and disease have caused previous Oktoberfest cancellations, and a resilient Germany has always recovered.
The taps may be off this October, but Bavaria will bounce back.
